You're A Friend, Charlie Brown
by Me
Summary: Schroeder's concert is where Linus will be pastor, their childhood church. Charlie Brown frets about helping Sally teach when asked, but his game shouldn't conflict. Or, could it? Plus, CB's wife is due any day. It all folds into one confused mess


A/N: While Peanuts is timeless, I had to approximate a few things. I chose what I did so there's small-town America, yet it's modern enough Franklin's there. It fits well with the last major character's start (Rerun, '73), he can be born anytime in the early '70s. Sally is a couple years younger than Linus, as in the strip's last few decades. It's Minnesota for snowy winters, yet Southern Minnesota can produce humidity & warm summers. The school seemed secular to me, though it could have been a church one. (A Christmas play could have been in the late '70s) I do chronological reality as mentioned in "Imaginary Friends 2: The Nature of Reality." This follows "It's the Senior Prom, Charlie Brown." While an explanation for Charlie Brown being called by two names is given as mentioned here, a further reason is given that makes it more reasonable that it stuck.

I may not have time for much, except a "Full House" one and vague notions of a sequel to this with Violet, Patty, & Freida. Small fics about the interlude & before "It's the Senior Prom, Charlie Brown" could come if I have time and ideas, but I'm working on books, though said books will be on hold if I get a temp position at one place (my profile has ones I wrote now). So, I'm finishing in the fandom that started me in writing, as a kid.

You're A Friend, Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown smiled as his sister, Sally Van Pelt, ran into his arms. They hugged warmly as he considered his childhood. In retrospect, he'd been good at helping her. Not that it was easy, with her malaprops, and how she confused things, but he felt now that he'd done fairly well; certainly better than he had at other things.

"It's so good to be home," Sally said enthusiastically. Except for most Thanksgivings and some other holidays, she'd been away often since she left for college; especially since she and his best friend Linus married five years ago. She looked at her brother after a moment. "Well, aren't you going to say more than 'hello'?"

Charlie Brown seemed to shake cobwebs loose. "Sorry; things have just been so busy…"

"Peppermint Patty and you didn't have your baby yet, did you? Oh, no; we were hoping to be together with you for that glorious day!"

"It's okay, Sally. She's due any day, but she hasn't delivered…"

"Then why are you here, why aren't you with her? What if her water breaks?" Sally blushed slightly, catching herself. "Sorry. I guess I still get pretty excited, huh?"

Charlie Brown picked up her carry-on bag. "Yeah. But, life can get wild. She's waiting at baggage claim. Oh, there's Linus." He looked over at his best friend from childhood and Linus and Sally's girl, Sarah. "He's always taking time to teach her about helping," Charlie Brown said warmly. They were helping an elderly lady in a wheelchair.

"Well, he should. He's going to be inducted as the minister where we went to church," Sally reminded him.

"I know; he'll make a good one. Although, they're calling it an installation."

"Installation? He's not a piece of software," Sally retorted. "Anyway, I'm leading the Sunday School department. Remember when I kicked the minister's kid out of class? It can't happen this time. Well, unless Sarah really acts up, but I don't think that'll happen."

Charlie Brown remarked that, "You learned a good lesson about forgiveness, in how you were forgiven that day," as Linus and Sarah, three, finally got there. Charlie Brown wasn't sure if Sally was ready to start on one of her occasional rambling monologues, but wanted to defuse it. She didn't get nearly as overly excited as she had when little, though.

Sally appreciated it. "You're right. Thanks. Anyway, Linus is all set for the big induction, right, Linus," she asked as Charlie Brown and Linus greeted each other warmly.

"I have someone really special coming for the service to preach, Charlie Brown," Linus told him. "Remember my Pastoral Leadership professor I told you about?" He did.

Sarah tugged on Sally's hand as they walked to baggage claim. "Why does Uncle Charlie use two names?" Her parents' friends, to her, were all aunts and uncles.

"When he was little, there were two Charlies in the neighborhood," Sally said. "We told you about that, remember?"

Charlie Brown breathed a short sigh of relief, hoping that Sarah wouldn't remember the other part of the story. It wasn't just a girl nicknamed Poochie who had first done it. The name had continued in the neighborhood, too, for another reason.

No such luck. "Oh, yeah." The tot turned to Charlie Brown and spouted in the "I want the whole world to hear" voice toddlers can use, "So they didn't confuse you with a cat."

As Sally whispered and reminded Sarah to use her "inside voice," Charlie Brown turned to Linus. "I can see why that tradition stuck, since that older lady's cat did get loose sometimes. You knew which Charlie you were talking to then. But, couldn't you have just told her it was 'someone else'? Or only about that girl named Poochie doing it?"

"Sorry, Charlie Brown. Kids her age are masters of wearing you down with interrogation, with all their questions. Hey," Linus said to Peppermint Patty, who was waiting for them.

Sarah gawked at Peppermint Patty's size. "Yeah, I'm pregnant," Peppermint Patty said tiredly, grumbling slightly. "I can't wait to get this over with."

"Let's take the baby out. I'll help." Sarah offered.

Peppermint Patty explained, "If he hasn't come out, that means he has more growing to do in there." She stood slowly, as Linus and Sally started to get their bags. "But, thanks for the offer. I wish I could take you up on it."

"It's rough," Sally said with a very broad smile, walking over and putting an arm around her, "but when that baby comes out, it'll be the most rewarding, most special day ever."

"Thanks Sally. It's been rough; you know, not having a mother to tell me that. Chuck's mom has helped a lot, too, but I'm glad you went through it first, so I've had you to talk to the last few months, too," she told her.

Faces fell as Charlie Brown interrupted the tender moment. "Oh, speaking of special days," he said, "did you hear Schroeder's going to be in town? Lucy's been traveling with him on tour, too. He's giving a concert at the church Saturday night."

"Lucy always said her persistence with him would pay off," Linus noted. "They've been married for a few years now, too."

"Just think, the whole gang'll be together again – Rerun's still here, of course," Charlie Brown said as they got the last of the bags, and headed out to the car, "and Marcie and her husband live fairly close. Plus, Franklin's coming up from the church he planted in St. Louis; the associate he works with is preaching there Sunday."

Charlie Brown helped her into her seat in front - and Sally buckled Sarah into a car seat that normally went in the car Linus had bought when he'd been there recently; Rerun had driven it there for them, with Mrs. Van Pelt picking him up then.

Peppermint Patty said, "I've got to hand it to you two, Linus. You and Sally show me a real difference in people, the way some are lately. I had my doubts at times growing up, but you've really helped my faith. You'll be a great minister. Thanks, Chuck," she said as he closed the door and went around to the other side. "I even have faith my baby won't come while my husband is off coaching the Pee Wee Football championship game. I can't believe we might win. Of course, having a possible future NFL back helps. Isn't that right, Chuck?" she said as he buckled his seat belt and they drove back home.

"Oh, brother. I just realized, that's Saturday, too."

"Don't fret it, Chuck. Just pray the game doesn't go overtime. You'll be done in plenty of time to come see Schroeder in concert," Peppermint Patty assured him.

Sally repeated the nagging thought in her brother's head. "With his luck, it'll go two overtimes. Maybe three or four. Maybe they'll set a record. I can see it now," Sally continued, "'Minnesota man coaches team in longest ever game. It's the first time both teams scored triple digits.'" It being a title game, they had to play until someone won, and that meant taking turns trying to score.

Charlie Brown quickly went from thinking maybe Peppermint Patty was right, to a nagging feeling of despair. It wasn't helped when she said Sally was probably right.

The next day, Tuesday, Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, and Sarah watched Charlie Brown's team's practice. Linus and Sally were talking with some parents – they'd met a few, but not all, when he was as a guest speaker earlier; he'd been a youth pastor elsewhere.

"Actually," Charlie Brown heard Linus telling someone, "Cyrenius was governor two separate times. One of the greatest archaeologists ever, William Ramsay, set out to disprove the Gospel of Luke based on what people thought they knew. It was like people only knowing the second non-consecutive term of President Grover Cleveland. Ramsay uncovered the first term of Cyrenius as governor, plus other historical evidence. This caused Ramsay to come to have faith, and based on his strict investigations, Ramsay called Luke a great historian, who had recorded everything accurately."

Charlie Brown sighed, thinking of how Linus had grown from verses from Luke in the Christmas play to that. "And, I have trouble remembering all of John 3:16."

Sarah walked up behind Charlie Brown. "Guess who?"

"Abraham Lincoln," Charlie Brown said jokingly.

"No, you're supposed to guess Who," Sarah complained.

Charlie Brown chuckled. "I know it's you, Sarah."

"No, no, guess Who."

"Huh?" Charlie Brown turned around, now quite confused. "I already did."

"No, you said Sarah. You were supposed to guess Who."

Linus walked over and rescued him by explaining, "We listened to an Abbott and Costello tape on the way up. She's thinking of 'Who's On First'?"

"Now guess dog," Sarah requested.

"At her age, though, she doesn't quite get joke telling yet," Linus added. "You remember that routine we listened to, huh?" he asked her.

"Yeah, Rabbit and Costello," Sarah said.

Charlie Brown couldn't help but chuckle. "If Mel Blanc never did a Bugs Bunny cartoon with that name, he should have." He turned to Linus as Sarah ran over to where Sally was. "It'll be great to have you guys back. Hearing her brings back great memories." He'd wondered at times if she'd noticed his help, but she had said "thanks" a few times.

"You always had patience, Charlie Brown. Maybe you could fill in for Sally once in a while in Sunday School. Or, even full time, when the church starts growing. We had to merge as it was with another church that got too old and lost a lot of people. We hope to reach out to the big town nearby; maybe move a little closer," Linus remarked.

"You've always had big dreams. Me, I'm stuck at my dad's barber shop." Linus asked Charlie Brown if he was happy. "It's okay, I guess. But, every time a customer starts talking about politics or sports, I feel like I'm forced to have an opinion." He was still insecure about having one, let alone expressing it, about numerous things.

"My dream is to start a Christian school, too. If we can get the money, we'd have the support of enough parents; and, we could get kids from outside whose parents would also pay tuition. Maybe you could teach."

Charlie Brown was dumbfounded. "Me, teach?" He said it was rough enough trying to figure out how to explain things to Sally. "I know I'm older now, but still..."

Linus explained. "The old minister left for Florida because he stopped dreaming once his kids were grown. So, the church didn't grow, and people moved. Maybe not all my ideas will work; but, some will. You should be the same way, Charlie Brown."

"Well, maybe." He sighed. "I guess I do wonder if I'm making a difference in the world. On the other hand, what if I try and the difference I make is a negative one? My dad always said the nice part about being a barber was, you could talk about things all you want, but you never had to actually try to solve the problems."

"It would have to be something you know well; something you could make interesting." Charlie Brown saw the other team's coach coming over, and Linus decided to get back to meeting people. "Give it some thought, Charlie Brown. You wouldn't have near the problems people talk about in some public schools; it was bad enough where we were, we'd talked about home schooling in a couple years, since they have groups and field trips and things together, which provide plenty of interaction with others. With all the teaching aides online, as the Internet grows, I think you could be a good teacher."

Charlie Brown had little time to consider how grown up Sally had become – how they'd all grown, in fact – that she could successfully teach. Later that day, he'd consider that Sally as a teacher didn't seem too far-fetched. But, him?

For now, he talked with the other team's coach. "I thought you might be here. I know it's a little short notice, but, do you think we could move the game? The grandfather of a couple of our players passed away yesterday, and the funeral is Saturday."

Charlie Brown said he'd read about it in the paper. "When would you want it?"

"Sunday, if possible; same time, 2:00. The funeral's going to have to be Saturday, till some other people make it here. I know a fair number of your kids are in church; ours are, too. But, 2:00 should give you plenty of time to go home, eat a little, and get suited up."

"Certainly." He almost said it worked out well, with Schroeder's recital that evening, but didn't want to say anything was working out well, with someone having died like that. "I'll call the league office and confirm it so they can tell the officials."

"Thanks; I did, too, but they want both coaches to call."

Charlie Brown called his team around to tell them. He asked an assistant to help notify the parents. And, he considered that – if he could handle this – maybe he could handle situations as a teacher.

Thursday, Charlie Brown was talking to his team of young football players at another after-school practice. Suddenly, thoughts of football turned back to years ago. "Oh, Charlie Brown," he heard a voice ring out.

He turned around slowly. It couldn't be, could it? He sighed. It could, and it was.

"Come on, Charlie Brown. Show your team how you kick a field goal," Lucy called.

He didn't want to, but the players behind him started chanting for him to do it. "Do you really want me to?" They shouted "yes!" and he glared at Lucy. "All right. It's been years. Maybe she's matured. Maybe she'll let me. We're adults. She wouldn't pull the football away in front of my players, would she?" he asked himself as he started running. "All right, here goes…" He swung where the ball had been, and missed. "AAUGH!" he screamed as he flew and landed with a thud. The team's players busted guts laughing.

"I was going to let you kick it," Lucy said as she stood over him, "but your team seemed tense. That should be just the thing to loosen them up so they play well Sunday."

Charlie Brown got up and dusted himself off, as a few kids asked through giggles if he was all right. "Yeah, I'm fine. I would say nothing hurt but my pride, but she got that long ago." Schroeder was beside them by now, too, and they greeted each other warmly. "Great to see you, Schroeder."

"Same here, Charlie Brown. We parked the tour bus at the motel, and drove the rental car out to see you." Schroeder smiled as they looked out on the field, where Charlie Brown's helper began running the players through some drills. "I bet you have to travel some to find teams to play, given the town's size. After all, we were playing kids a few years older than we were at times."

He said it was. "It is 7-on-7, though, so it's not exactly the same. Still, our dad lucked out with that one boy," Charlie Brown said as Linus drove by and pulled up. He pointed to a kid who looked 2-3 years older than the rest of his teammates, given his size. Charlie Brown's dad's barber shop sponsored the team.

"I wondered how you could be coaching in a championship game," Lucy said as Linus got out of the car. They all said "hello," and Lucy continued. "At that age, a good, swift back can really make a difference."

"He comes from an athletic pedigree," Linus noted. "That's Joe Shlabotnik's grandson."

Charlie Brown confirmed this. "He and his daughter both married young. He hits a baseball more poorly than his grandpa did. But, he seems to have found a niche." He sighed. "I wish more kids were turning to baseball, though, instead of other sports."

"Maybe that's something you can encourage, too, Charlie Brown. Perhaps I could start a sports camp, and you could work in it, instead of teaching like I suggested earlier," Linus said. When Lucy laughed hard, he explained his reasoning.

Lucy thought a moment. "Hmmm, you do have a lot of patience."

"And, perseverance," Schroeder noted.

"It would have to be an age where they won't take advantage of you, where they've learned to be reasonably well-behaved, except for a few," Lucy pondered out loud. "But, young enough you seem like an authority figure only because of your age. And, it would have to be a subject you can teach with confidence, so they believe you. It would have to be one with no controversy, so you don't suddenly become wish-washy. And, not for long, because you have so many weaknesses any kids can exploit …" Lucy finally said. "Maybe you could teach addition to fourth graders on alternate Fridays."

"Come on, Lucy, I'm sure Charlie Brown can…" Linus' cell phone rang. He was glad the phones were becoming a lot smaller now, as he pulled it out; few people had them yet in their more rural area, though they were becoming more common, and now, in the late '90s, the signal reached more of the area. "Hello?...What? …Are you sure, Sally?...Oh, no! Sure, I'll call them right away."

"What's wrong," Schroeder asked.

Linus felt a lump in his throat as he pressed buttons on his phone. He said, "The professor I wanted to preach my installation died of a massive heart attack this morning. Sally gave me the phone number of someone at the seminary."

Charlie Brown looked skyward. "Good grief."

"How old was he?" Lucy asked.

"I think Linus said he was in his early 80s." They listened for a moment. Linus was clearly not going to be able to find someone else to come on such short notice, from the way the conversation was going. He suddenly thought of something as Linus hung up his phone. "I wonder if Franklin could preach your installation."

"I don't have to have someone preach it, Charlie Brown; it's just an honor new ministers like to give to a mentor, or a favorite professor, or something." He began to put away his cell phone. "Oh, I better call Sally. I'll be preaching. She was just going to come in at the end, and run the opening and teach part of the time, but she decided even before this she probably wanted to be there for more. Now, she'll want to be in the service for my first sermon back here, for sure." He suddenly had a thought. "Which means you'll be heading up the Sunday School department, Charlie Brown."

"Me?"

Lucy reminded him of what she'd said before a Christmas play once. "I always said you need involvement. The more involved you are with others' problems, the less involved you'll be with your own."

"I guess," he said with a sigh. "Well, we do have a few individual teachers, too, but still, I guess I'll have to teach a class, like Sally would have."

Linus agreed. "We haven't told Sarah yet, but Sally's pregnant again." The others congratulated him. "Thanks. Sally may be able to help you a bit, but you will wind up teaching at least some on Sunday, and in the future, as she gets closer to her due date."

"You can do it, Charlie Brown," Schroeder said with confidence.

"If you don't get confused and think John 3:16 is a running play," Lucy pointed out. "Or tell the kids to turn to a book of the Bible that doesn't exist because it's one of your team's plays. In fact, there are a lot of ways you could mess this up. Well, good luck."

Charlie Brown rolled his eyes. "'Good luck,' she says."

Schroeder, Charlie Brown, and the others were walking to the church Saturday morning. "I can't believe we've been so busy seeing everyone, we haven't had time to stop in the church and have a look around," Linus said.

"It should be just the way you left when you spoke as a candidate," Rerun said.

Marcie could tell Peppermint Patty was moving slowly. "Would you like a wheelchair?"

"No, Marcie, I don't need a wheelchair. I need this baby to come out," she groused.

Linus unlocked the door. "I got a few things moved into the office, but haven't had time to check the rest of the building." As they entered, Sally followed Sarah, who wandered off in a different direction from the others. "I'm sure you'll have everything you need to teach, Charlie Brown; flannelgraph, and anything else. Still, you can make sure."

"Thanks, Linus…er, what should I call you now?"

"Just keep calling me Linus. I don't want to put on airs or anything. Besides, you're a friend. The others can call me Reverend Linus or Reverend Van Pelt if they want. And, if you feel better, Reverend Linus is fine, too."

After a few moments, Sally and Sarah walked up to them. "Don't you need a piano to play piano?" Sarah asked.

The others all figured she was just talking silly, as little kids did. She might even be running thoughts together. So, Schroeder simply said, "It's only going to be about 90 minutes long. I think Sarah will enjoy the concert."

"On what?" Sally asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Why, on the piano." Linus began to get nervous as he asked, "Is there something wrong with the piano?"

"Yes! It's not here!" Sally exclaimed.

"What? How can you have a piano concert without a piano?" Lucy screamed at Linus. While she wasn't' nearly as fussy as she used to be, she could not only be brutally honest, but incredibly loyal to Schroeder, in addition to sometimes not knowing when to stop what had become playful humor, such as pulling the football away.

"Well, I naturally thought…" Linus looked at the number for the building superintendent, written on a pad on the desk. "Let me make a call."

"Is Daddy getting a piano?" Sarah asked Sally.

"He'd better!" Lucy declared.

"…Uh huh….Uh huh….I see. What about the one we merged with?...I see."

"Who cares what you see, you blockhead! We need to see a piano," Lucy exclaimed.

Linus hung up the phone. "There's been a mix-up."

"Did they think Uncle Schroeder played drums?" Sarah guessed.

"Not that kind of a mix-up." He turned to the others. "We thought the one we were merging with would have theirs, so we donated ours to a church in Mexico. But, only a few days ago, we learned they'd sold theirs at a garage sale."

Lucy threw up her hands. "Oh, good grief!"

"Well, here's where you show leadership. What do we do now?" Sally asked. She still believed in him – always had – for which Linus was grateful. The playful kid in him had done things like imagine a Great Pumpkin in the family's pumpkin patch, but he'd had a lot of good, real ideas, too. At times, he'd just used that imagination, and his blanket, to relieve stress. He hoped he could come up with something clever enough here. It was great that Sally believed in him, but she wasn't the only one who was important now.

Sarah interrupted. "Would a harmomica work?"

"You mean a harmonica," Charlie Brown corrected Sarah gently. "I don't think Schroeder could play a mouth organ; I've only ever seen him use his hands."

Schroeder asked, "Does anyone in the church have one I could borrow? Lucy and I did come with the tour bus. I don't know if we could fit it, but maybe a pickup truck."

Rerun said, "Wait till you hear Mr. Hoskins. He's really good on it." He told Linus the elderly gentleman was still around, in his eighties. Schroeder fretted as Linus found a church directory for the other church. "He could play his anytime, though."

"People want to hear me, no matter how well he plays. They're paying." Schroeder shook his head. "Nobody's going to have an organ like we want. And, we've only got a few hours," he said as Linus called people, one of whom had recommended someone else.

"Great. Thanks." Linus finally hung up the phone. "I did find a lady with a piano; we can pick it up. It won't be a big organ, but maybe you can promise the people two concerts; one tonight and one tomorrow."

"That'll work; I can see at least one, then," Charlie Brown said, reminding the others of his football game.

Franklin had come in as Linus was calling; Marcie explained the situation for him. "Is it in tune?" Franklin inquired. Linus sweated a bit; he had forgotten to ask. "Well, between all of us, we should be able to find someone who can tune a piano."

"Sure. And, then everything will work out perfectly," Charlie Brown said. He then asked nobody in particular, "So, why do I have a sense of impending disaster?"

"Look at the bright side, Charlie Brown," Lucy remarked. "You're not the one who's going to be thoroughly embarrassed."

"That doesn't give your husband much confidence," Marcie pointed out.

Lucy hummed. "That's true. He probably needs more, since I doubt this sort of thing ever happened to Beethoven. Did it?" she asked Schroeder, who didn't think it had. "Maybe Linus will be the most embarrassed," she said, bluntly but also somewhat jokingly.

Linus caught Charlie Brown's questioning look. "Don't worry, Charlie Brown. Growing up with Lucy around, I've got tons of examples on the importance of forgiveness, and not letting bickering hurt the church, so we can show Christ's love to others."

"The way this week is going, that might be a good topic tomorrow," Sally noted, trying to be helpful. Though her bluntness was sometimes a bit much, Linus appreciated it – just as he'd learned to appreciate so much about her; as she'd grown to take more of an interest in what he loved, too. At least Sally's honesty wasn't as brutal as Lucy's could be; she tried to pride herself on being polite and kind to others, and always had, as far back as he could remember. Linus simply said he was working on his sermon.

The next morning, Charlie Brown awakened to find Peppermint Patty already up. "You couldn't sleep either, huh?" She shook her head. "I hate to think of how Schroeder feels. Last night was a disaster. Lucy's always sticking up for him – which makes her an odd spokesperson to begin with. But, even she has to be wondering if there's any way it could have been worse." At least Schroeder has her to encourage him, he thought to himself.

"Don't fret it, Chuck. You've got more important things on your mind than the fact that lady hadn't played her piano in years," she said. "She probably hadn't had it tuned since that guy they named the dog after was playing it," she said, referring to Beethoven, whom she couldn't remember. Charlie Brown decided not to mention the right name; he just knew it was a lot easier to use a name like Snoopy, who couldn't be confused with anyone else; that's why he still used that as a dog name. Besides, in her condition, Peppermint Patty would probably just say she didn't care what the right name was.

Charlie Brown fit the playbook into his suit pocket. "Now, if we don't have time to change before the game, I'm all set. And, I have my lesson notes in the other one."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Too many things have already gone wrong for that to go wrong," Charlie Brown said, trying to adopt a positive outlook, despite the problems. Besides, he was sure he'd put them there last night.

"That's exactly why I'm asking, Chuck," Peppermint Patty said, annoyed. She, too, had seen so much go wrong, it was hard to believe. Still, Charlie Brown loved her, and always saw potential in her, that was what was important.

Charlie Brown was already thinking ahead. "If Schroeder can get that piano from that church we called now in time, after their service is done, he can start…" He hummed. "I can hear a couple songs before we leave, I guess."

Linus, meanwhile, was also nervous. "You'll do great," Sally told him as they left. She might be really blunt, but she also loved to encourage him. She realized she'd only been getting enjoyment for herself at first, but now, she loved to give her time for Linus, just like he really enjoyed giving himself for her.

"I hope so. I hadn't planned a lot, because I thought my first sermon would be next week, but I had a few days. I always have a few messages ready, anyway, just in case, like if I was sick the whole week but felt well enough to preach some Sunday."

Sarah walked up to them as he tightened his tie. "Isn't God the one?"

Thanks," Linus said sweetly. "You're right, Sarah. He's the one who has to move in the message. But, people have to want to listen, too. I guess I'm worried after last night, people won't be in a mood to listen."

"People are pretty forgiving, I think," Sally said as they left. They were within walking distance, but to give himself privacy, Linus drove them there.

Sally was concerned, however, as they left the car. One parishioner said, "It can't be any worse than last night." Another recounted a funny church bulletin about a verse which would be performed "without musical accomplishment" instead of "accompaniment."

"It's important to have a sense of humor; 'A merry heart doeth good like medicine,'" Linus responded, keeping a cheerful face. While it still would have been really rude, the joke might have stood a chance of being funny if it wasn't his friend's performance. "He would have sounded a lot better with a tuned piano. Another church promised us theirs, if we can't get this tuned well enough."

Another quipped that, "He could have used his old toy piano and done better."

Charlie Brown began to fidget. How well would he do? The congregation seemed ready to complain about everything – and, if their kids didn't, he'd certainly hear about it from them later if he did slip up. He'd never taught before. There was such a difference between helping Sally understand something, and standing in front of a group of first through sixth graders. He wished Sally were here – or even Peppermint Patty. Had she decided to step into the main service while he worked with the kids?

"Mister," one boy raised his hand and asked, "was the piano playing really that bad last night?"

Charlie Brown noticed the boy. "Uh, no. Well, yes, but…well, no. Actually…" He paused, trying to figure out what to say.

"My mom said that was a real old piano," another boy told the first one.

Charlie Brown was thankful for that; at least it gave him somewhere to go. "Yes; thank you. I'm glad you said that. See, there was a mix-up, and…"

"I thought you were supposed to be able to tune those things," one girl insisted.

"You are. It's just that we only had a few hours and, well…" Charlie Brown wound up taking many questions. The discussion ranged from pianos to harps to if the Psalmist King David would have had all the notes A through G, and many points in between. The only time he seemed to get control of things was when he insisted that a fourth grader not demonstrate how he could play music on his armpits. Even then, one of two high school kids who helped – and would teach the younger children - interceded there, too.

Sally stepped in for a moment. "They're taking the offering. How are things going?"

"We sort of got sidetracked. Where's Peppermint Patty?"

"You don't want to know," she told him, as she stood with confidence in front of the class. "All right, everyone quiet down," she insisted, speaking with an air of certainty that Charlie Brown hadn't used. "Thank you. Some of you may remember me, I'm Miss Sally. I know things are confused today. So, after we have prayer you'll be dismissed to your classes, instead of having a lesson out here." She failed to add that she could tell Charlie Brown wasn't quite ready to handle the larger room. The kids probably knew, anyway. She'd seemed much more confident and able to take charge; she had taught there a few times when Linus had been back, after all; the minister's wife had run the small Sunday School before he'd left.

Charlie Brown smiled as Sally easily talked about how people had to forgive, and that – despite the jokes of adults, who didn't always listen to God in their hearts like they should – they should have sympathy on Schroeder. He could take jokes, and made some himself. However, they should understand that part of loving one another was accepting that problems will come up, and not being bitter or complaining when they did.

As he watched his sister, he considered how poorly he'd done in comparison. When Peppermint Patty ambled back in – he supposed from the bathroom – Sally stepped away from the front, and the two teens gathered a small group of kids each.

"Maybe Lucy was right. I can't teach anything. And…did she say the concert wouldn't be till one?" Charlie Brown asked Peppermint Patty, suddenly realizing what Sally said.

"Don't worry," Sally answered for Peppermint Patty, forgetting what else was today. "Maybe your wife will give birth by then; sometimes labor is really fast."

Charlie Brown's eyes grew wide. "Labor?"

"Don't worry; the contractions just started," Peppermint Patty said. "We can go right after your lesson."

"Will she give birth here?" one of the remaining children, fourth through sixth grade, inquired excitedly.

"I sure hope not," Charlie Brown muttered.

"Right," Sally, said, pulling the playbook out of his coat pocket. "Just read what's on here if you have to…" She suddenly started looking at it. "What is on here? 'Running' and 'Passing' aren't books of the Bible!" She glared at him. She loved him so much – but, he could be so, so, well, so Charlie Brown at times.

"Sure, because my lesson notes…" Charlie Brown felt all around – in his jacket, pants, and everywhere else. "Are at home," he muttered. Sally and Peppermint Patty rolled their eyes as the others were taking their classes into their individual rooms. "It's no use; Lucy was right. I couldn't teach to save my life! Especially not today!"

"Give me one good reason!" Sally insisted.

"I can give you plenty," he griped as he took the playbook and gestured with it. "Number one, my wife's about to give birth, number two, I couldn't control them out here, number three, I can't even remember my notes, number four…" He paused, trying to think of what other reasons. "I'm sure there's a lot more," he said dejectedly.

Sally put her hands on her hips. "Oh, yeah? What would have happened if Peter had that attitude at the Battle of Geritol?" she inquired testily, as the remaining children giggled. "Or when Moses was getting all those animals two by two up Mount Cyanide!" The laughter came harder. "We might never have had a Passover!"

The children were laughing hard, but Charlie Brown, looking skyward, was oblivious to Sally's lack of embarrassment. He was more worried about making sure Sally got everything right for next week – when she would be teaching! "Uh, Sally, Noah took the animals two by two on the ark; Moses got the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. And, Peter was a New Testament figure," he said, wondering how she could have been so far off on that one. "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho hundreds of years earlier."

"Really?" Sally asked with interest. "Tell me more."

"Yeah…and the Passover was before the Commandments or the Battle of Jericho. It…" He struggled as he continued, but he was, at least, back in his comfort zone now, just like when they were kids. "Well, that was when Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt. You know, where they put the symbol over their doors. It was a picture of how we would be saved from spiritual death, and saved from being slaves to sin, if we trust by simple faith in what Christ did for us on the cross as taking the punishment for our sin, when he died and then rose from the dead."

"Oh." Sally looked out the door, grinned expectantly, and spoke excitedly. "I'd love to stay and hear you tell the kids more, but it sounds like Linus is getting ready to preach."

"Yeah, sure, Sally; come on, kids," Charlie Brown said, leading them to a classroom with himself and Peppermint Patty.

One girl – who had met Linus and Sally before – said, "Boy, you were really mixed up," before going into the room with them.

Sally got close so Charlie Brown couldn't hear. "I'll explain next week," she whispered.

Charlie Brown felt a little more confident, at least – the only problem was, he couldn't just read from the Bible. These kids needed a lesson, something they could apply to their lives. Even if it was just about what he'd tried to explain to Sally. He helped Peppermint Patty into the room, and then began to speak as she sat down.

"How did the baby get in her?" One of the kids asked.

"Will she give birth here?" another asked. "I can help 'cause my dog just had puppies."

Charlie Brown held up his hands. "It's a little more complicated. That was funny, though; it sounds like something you'd hear on TV." He decided this was as good of a spot as any; he wasn't sure where to start otherwise. "Maybe a 'Full House' rerun. How many ever saw that episode where Stephanie backs the car into the kitchen?"

After some raised their hands, he continued, explaining hwo she'd pressed "r" thinking it meant "radio," and backed the car into the kitchen. She'd left, thinking she couldn't be loved any more after doing that, but was convinced to return, and told she'd always be loved no matter what; nothing she did would make her dad stop loving her.

"You'd think pushing a button wouldn't cause such a problem. But, it shows we all choose to do wrong at times, because of our sin nature, though we know we shouldn't," he said. "We say, think, or do bad things. That separates us from God's perfect love. But God made a way for us to be forgiven and have a loving relationship with Him, anyway," he said, trying to figure out where he wanted to go with this. He also realized that he seemed to have even forgotten his Bible. Yes, his wife was about to give birth, but still…

Then again, he had done well with Sally. So, he continued, like he might have with her, though he felt like he was rambling at first.

"Jesus gave us the best gift ever! He came to Earth in the form of a man, and lived a perfect life. Then, He took the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross. And, He rose from the dead the third day. He did that for each of us. He washed our sins away. He has forgiven us. He wants us to trust Him to save us from our sins, so we're not separated from His perfect love anymore. So we're not slaves to sin.

"We just have to receive that forgiveness by faith. Just like Stephanie would always be loved, but she had to return home to learn she was forgiven. It's a gift. You don't do anything to earn a gift. You just take it and open it. It's the same with Jesus. We have to want Jesus to save us – through what He did on the cross for you – and come live in our hearts and forgive us," he said. "Once He changes us on the inside, He lives in us. We can have a personal relationship with Him then. We can know for sure we're going to Heaven. And, He'll help us here. He'll help if we turn to Him because we're tempted, and He'll give us a way out. He'll give us peace and help if we're worried, or confused, or sad, or anything."

And, Charlie Brown considered, sometimes He'll use unusual ways to help, like the way Sally got so confused.

"All it takes is receiving, by faith, what He did for you on the cross, when He took your sins away," he explained. "It's turning from your sins, and trusting Him to forgive you, and to make that change on the inside. You can talk to Him and do that right now by faith. Just like opening a gift."

As he spoke, he soon forgot about everything else. Although, with Peppermint Patty having another contraction, he knew he had to get her to the hospital soon. However, at least he'd taught something, even if he'd managed to ramble from a TV show illustration.

That evening, Peppermint Patty gave birth to a healthy baby boy. With mother and child resting comfortably, Charlie Brown stepped into the hospital lobby and began to call family and friends. He was so excited!

And yet, part of him felt miserable. He'd forgotten his notes, missed his good friend's concert, and as for the football team? He didn't even want to think about that one!

Lucy walked into the hospital lobby, and he knew she was going to let him have it. "Well, I hope you're satisfied!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know," he said, leaning his head against a wall. "I not only missed Schroeder's concert, I forgot all about the game in the end. We probably forfeited. My one chance to win something important and I blew it," he spoke mournfully, hoping she would keep screaming. He felt he deserved it.

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked insistently. "Schroeder had to put off his concert again now!"

Charlie Brown turned and looked oddly at her. "Huh?"

"Once the team realized you weren't there to get the team bus and pick kids up, he had to leave the church and cram everyone onto our tour bus and take them there himself!"

"You mean they actually played?" Charlie Brown wondered excitedly.

Lucy was oblivious to his excitement. She hollered, "Then he waited till the game was over before driving kids home! One of the kids could have coached that team to victory; all he did was tell them to run that phenom you had! He missed his own concert!"

"You mean we won the league title?" When Lucy said they had, Charlie Brown erupted with glee. "Oh, boy, wait till I tell Peppermint Patty! Thanks, Lucy, this is great!"

Lucy gazed at Charlie Brown as he ran down the corridor to Peppermint Patty's room, and then frowned as she moped away. "What a waste of a good, old fashioned fit!" she fretted. "It's no fun being fussy when it makes someone happy."

Most of the Peanuts gang met the next morning, before Schroeder left; Marcie was with Peppermint Patty, who would go home with the baby late that day. Sarah was at a friend's. "I'm sorry you had to miss your concert yesterday," Charlie Brown said.

"That's okay; I have a small opening in my schedule in a couple weeks; I'm going to fly back and do one then," Schroeder said.

"By that time, our church will have bought a good piano," Linus noted.

Lucy concurred. Now calmer, she said, "I think it would have been okay yesterday. But, at least Schroeder was able to do something constructive."

"Yeah. Thanks for being willing to take the team out there, and coach them. Although, Lucy's right; we probably could have gone with a few of the parents as chaperones like they planned, and just one of the kids coaching."

"It's my pleasure, Charlie Brown. I sacrificed to catch for you when we were kids, after all," Schroeder noted. "Sure, it was fun. But, it was also a chance to do something fun with a friend. It's something I don't have very much time to do now."

"And, it'll be great to have you helping in my church, too," Linus said.

Franklin concurred. "I heard some kids say they really enjoyed your message. Maybe one day, you can come on a mission trip with us."

"Knowing me, I'd forget to pack anything; I'd come with empty suitcases. Although, I guess I can help, Linus. At least I was able to explain things to Sally." He wasn't sure what to say about how she'd mixed things up in the Sunday School department.

"I knew you could do it, too," Sally explained. "You just needed reminded."

"Huh?"

The realization of what he'd said suddenly came to her. Sally's eyes widened. "Did you think I was really that confused?" she asked in a shocked voice.

"Well…" He decided to admit it, though he knew Sally might be mad at him. Why couldn't he have guessed it was on purpose? "I guess I didn't know what to think."

"I can't believe you think I'd still get things that mixed up." Sally ignored her frustration with him, and put a hand on his shoulder, her firmness disappearing as she spoke. "Mom and Dad always said you seemed more confident helping me than anything you did. And, I knew that was one thing that would be sure to remind you that you can do some things right. I don't mind sounding that goofy, when it's for a good cause."

Charlie Brown got a little choked up, unsure of what to say. "You…you did that for me?"

Sally guessed what he was thinking. "I didn't always seem to appreciate your help. It probably seemed like it would take forever when I was little, always mixing things up, and not always putting a lot of effort into things. But, all that time you patiently helped me, I was watching you. Sure, our parents helped a lot. But, I learned from you the importance of sticking with something – and someone – and believing in them. Just like I believe in you, even though you really need help sometimes," Sally blurted.

Linus passed Sally a loving smile. "What I think she means is, we all care about you, Charlie Brown. That's just what Jesus tells us to do. Sure, we have to tell others about His forgiveness so they can receive it by faith, and then they can go to Heaven. But, we have to show it, too, because some people need to see a reason to believe the faith that we have." Linus thought a moment. "I'm probably going to have so many illustrations about that – although, I should probably check with you on some of them."

Sally said not to worry. "I've told kids a few of the more embarrassing ones when I have been back here." She quickly informed Charlie Brown, "Don't worry, I've told some on myself, too. I told one yesterday I was going to explain what I did next week."

"Well, I guess, if it helps them learn the importance of being kind to others," Charlie Brown said with a little uncertainty. The others said they were sure it would.

"And, we'll always be here to help, Charlie Brown. Because, you are a friend," Linus remarked warmly.

"And, I'm sure you'll be great at teaching, too. You did a great job with me, after all," Sally said with a broad smile.

"Thanks." After wiping a tear from his eye, Charlie Brown sniffled, and pondered just how loved he was – and just how much his patience had paid off. His mind was really back on how Sally had said she believed in him. "I guess maybe I can. As long as I have people like you on my team," he said, as he, Sally, and Linus shared a group hug. "It's great to have you home!"

Whether or not I have any other stories, thanks to all my readers, and I pray you have enjoyed my stories. And remember, you're only a single, sincere prayer of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ away from eternal life.


End file.
